Self-sinking caisson.



E. BIGNBLL. SELF SINKING smsson. APPLICATION FILED AUG.19,1911.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

broken away. Fig. 4 is an enlare'ed detail UNITED STATES EDWARD BIGNELL, OF

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA.

SELF-SINKING cAIssoN.

1,024,823. Specification of Application filed August 19',

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. Elfil'lltl) lnomzmi, a citiaen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Lancaster and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvtments in Self-Sinking Caissons, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an in'iprtivemcnt in caissons, and has for its principal object to provide caissons which may be lowered or sunk in either hardor soft ground in an expeditious manner, cmnparativcly, and without the presence. of workmen operating below the surface of the ground; as usually re uired.

he caisson as described may be said to be self-sinking, or one which will sink by reason of its own weight, devices being: em-

10 ed to remove the obstructing soil. it. me udes an elongated, cylindrical container having a hollow, perforated wall with compartments, and formed with a central aperture, devices being provided for causing water to pass outwardly through the perforations to remove adhesions, and drills be in employed to loosen the soil below the b0 low wall, the shafts of the drills being formed of tubular material, so that water under pressure may be passed to the drills.

The caisson is )articularly useful in conncction with building operations where hard soil ma be encountered, the soil from beneath t e double-walls of the caisson passing upward through the central aperture by force of the water which is discharged through the tubular shafts and through the perforations.

The invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement oiparts as described herein and claimed, and as illustrated in the drawing, it being understood that changes in form, size, proportion and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing. from the spirit of the. invention or sacrificin an of its advantages.

, n t c accompanying drawing forming. a part of the application, Figure l isa plan View of the caisson and mechanism for rofitting the tubular drill-shafts. Fig. 2 is a vertical, side view showing,' the upper part of the caisson, being a section on line a a, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a. vertical side view in section, taken' on line b b of Fig. 1, parts being Letterslatentf PatentedAprg30, 1912.

911. Serial to. 644,965.

in section, showing the irate]; passageway at the junction of a stationary supply pipe and a. rotatable tubular-shaft.

Referring now to the drawing for a more particular description, the caisson consists, in part, of an unright container formed by a cylindrical casing a second cylindrical casing t3 oflcsser diameter being employed and disposed within easing 5 to form an annular chamber-.01 recess 7, extending from the downwardly convergent bottom 8 to the upper ends of the casings, and thereby forming 'a con'iparativcly large central aperture 9 opening upon the upper and lower ends of thecontainen yAt 1O arcindicated braces which may be iiisposed transversely between the two casings orwalls mentioned for the purpose of sustaining these walls against lateral pressure; and at 11 are indicated perforations t'ornieilin both the outer and inner walls and bottom of the container.

At 12 are indicated partitions disposed transversely within and at. longitudinal in tervals of chamber 7, whereby annular compart merits 13, 14 and 15 may be Formed.

At. 16 are indicated conducting-pipes; and water, under pressure from any suitable source of supply, may pass within the upper ends of these pipes and may be discharged within any one or all of the mmpartn'ients. the discharge ports oi. these cont-luctingpipes being, indicated at o. While l have shown three annular compartments a greater or lesser number may, of course be provided, this depending on the length and diameter of the caisson; and any desired number of conducting pipes 16 may be employed. In practice, the walls of the upper con'ipartnient of the caisson are not. gener ally perforated, for the reason that the, upper part of the caisson does not enter the soil; VVlten the caisson is being lowered, the soilwill move upwardly in the central. open ing 9 and also near the outer wall of the container, the passage of the water outwardly through-the perforations aiding in this movement. Each conducting pipe is provided with a check valve 17 so that it maybe under control of an operator and the pressure of water in any compartment. may be regulated; When the caisson is being sunk in soft or hard soil a lesser or greater flow or pressure of water at the discharges K: may be maintained as may be rcqui red.

It may be said that the Caisson consists to the outer Wall of the caisson.

already described would be practical without the use of drills. he caisson is to be lowered in hard soil, additional devices are employed, as the rotatable tubular shafts 18 disposed within the hollow wall and traversing partitions 12 and the bottom 8, to project somewhat below the caisson,

downwardly an having discharge ports d,

drills 19 with fins 20 betapered heads or hred upon their lower terminals. ed for mg sec Any suitable means may be em 10 g or this provided, near their rotating the tubular shafts; an

upper ends with pinions 2f, the cogs thereof meshing with nest of gears thus mentioned is mounted upon the upper end of the caisson and would be obtrusive, it will be understood that these arts are to be removed after the caisson has lieen lowered into the ground, and the arrangement of parts is such that they may be readily detached from the caisson.

t 25 are indicated a pair of cross-plates or frame members substantially of inverted U-shape, their lower ends being formed as rackets e which may bebolted, tem orarily,

Wlien thus mounted they will be disposed at right angles and, at their junction, they may provide bearingsfor the up er end of vertical shaft 23. 'The lower end of this shaft 'may have bearings in and at the middle of cross strips 26, these strips being supported upon theupper end of the caisson and bolted to rackets e.

At 27, upon the upper side and near the ends of plates 25, is indicated a flat and frame, and to bearings for the tubular shafts.

In operation, when wheel 24 is actuated it will cause a rotation of pinion 22, and thereby pinions 21 and the tubular shafts will be rotated to operate the drill heads.

'At 28 are indicated stationary pipes having check valves 29. These pipes are for the purpose of conducting water, under pressure. to the tubular shafts: and, to the end that a continuous passageway for water ma be provided, from each pipe 28 to a tubular shaft. the usual construction is employed, which generally consists (Fig. 4-) of the apertured ball 30 provided for the lower end of said pipe and mounted in the ball-hens provide doom artments' and ing 31, the bore of the pipe registering with the aperture of the ball.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

l. A caisson consisting of a longitudinally apertured, cylindrical container having an outer and innerperforated wall; and a water conducting member having a discharge port disposed between said perforated walls.

n improvement in caissons, consistin longitudinally apertured cylindrica caslng having its outer and inner walls formed with perforations; a transverse partition disposed between said outer and inner walls to form annular chambers: and pipes for conducting water having discharge ports in said chambers.

caisson com rising a first, upright,

perforated casing; a ndrical perforated casby a downwardly convergent perforated we I; conducting-pipes having discharge ports within said chamber; and a plurality of'braoes disposed transversely within said chamber and bearing upon the cylindrical casings.

4. A caisson comprising a first, upright,

metallic, cylindrical lic, cylindrical, perforated casing disposed adjacent to and within said first Casings having their lower edges connected by a downwardly conyergent perforated wall; partitions dispose transversely between and at lon itudinal intervals of and bearing upon said casings to form annular conducting-pipes having discharge ports within said annular compartments.

5 A caisson, consisting of a pair of perforated, tubular niembers of different diameters, one being disposed within the other to form an annular chamber therebetween, an

- nular partitions between said members to divide the chamber into compartments; c0nducting-pipes leading to and having discharge ports within said compartments, and means upon said conducting-pipes for the control of said discharge ports.

caisson consisting of a pair of u right, tubular casings the other central passageway opening upon the ends of said casings; conductingpipes disposed between the tubular casings and having discharge ports below the lower end of said annular containing chamber.

A caisson consistin ofa pair of up right, tubular casings disposed one within tubular shaft being provided with a drillelongated, container having a hollow, c ead. lindrical wall perforated on its outer and 8. A caisson consisting of a pair of upinner sides and formed with a cylindrical right, tubular casings disposed one within recess opening upon its top and bottom; a. the other and connected at their lower ends; l plnrality of bTaccs disposed transversely in a plurality of rotatable tubular shafts, each said wall; partitions disposed in said wall having a discharge port and being provided l to form annular compartments; conductingwith a. terminal drill-head; said tubular j pipes supported by the container and havshafts being supported by and disposed l ing discharge ports within the compartbetween the casings, with their terminal l iuents: rotatable tubular shafts provided drill-heads projecting outwardly of the with drills; said shafts being su ported by lower ends of said casings, said discharge and disposed longitudinally of the conports opening outwardly. of the drill-heads. tainer and traversing said compartment-s to caisson comprising a pair of updispose said. drills below the hollow, cyright, cylindrical, perforated casings of lindrical wall of said container.

different diameters, connected at their lower 13. An improvement in caissons, consistends, one of said-casings being disposed to ing of an elongated, upright cylindrical circumscribe the other; partitions disposed l container formed with a hollow side wall transversely between the casings to form and with a longitudinal aperture openin compartments; conducting-pipes having l upon its ends; rotatable shafts provide discharge ports in said compartments; a l with drills at one of their terminals and tubular rotatable shaft formed with a tan disposed longitudinally of and Within the pered head and having a discharge port; side wall to dispose'said drills below the said shaft being disposed between the caslower end of said container. ings with its tapered head and d isrharge H. An i mprorement in caissons, comprisport disposed below the lower :ends of said ing an elongated, upright, cylindrical concasings. tamer formed with a hollow perforated side 10. An improvement in caissons (-ompriswall and with a longitudinal aperture opening a longitudinally and centrally apertured ing upon its ends; conducting-pipes having cylindrical container having a hollow perdischarge ports within the hollow side wall;

forated wall: partitions disposed transrotatable shafts provided with drill-heads versely in said wall to form con'ipartment at one of their terminals, said shafts being conductingpipes having discharge terniidisposed longitudinally of and traversing nals in the compartments; a plurality of to i the side wall of the container to dispose tatable tubular shafts provided with drill- 7 their drill'heads below and in the plane of 40 heads and having discharge ports; said l said side wall.

shafts being disposed in the hollow porto- If. A caisson, conipr1s1 ng, in comb1narated wall of the container and traversing F tion with a container having an outer and the partitions of said compartments to disinner perforated cylindrical Side wall and pose said drill-heads anddischarge ports t a longitudinal aperture opening upon its outwardly of one of the terminals of said l top and bottom. braces di p containen. lversely between the walls; partitions dis- 11. An improvement in caissons (T!lll}')l"lposed transversely and forming annular ing, an elongated container formed with a mmparlmeuts between the side walls;-' c0nhollow, cylindrical. perforated wall to jinn l durtiugpnies provided with controlling de- 5 ride an annular chamber and with a c ntral 1 vices and having discharge ports disposed longitudinal aperture opening on its ends; l within said |'=..oii|p:-u'tn1ents; rotatable shafts trzmsrersc partitions disposed in said nip each having adrill mounted upon one of its nular chamber to form compartments: eonterminals. said shafts traversing said part1- duvtingpipes having discharge ports withf tious and extend ng between to dispose stud in said compartments; devices upon the condrills below said cyllndrlcal perforated ducting-pipes for a control of the diselmrge walls. ports thereof; a plurality of rotatable tubu- In testimony whereof I have allinfed my lar shafts provided with drill heads and signature in presence of two w1tnesses. having discharge ports, said shafts being 1 EDlVAJRD BIGNELL.

disposed in and traversing said eonniart Witnesses:

of said container; and devices connected with said tubular shafts for a control of the discharge ports thereof.

caisson comprising an upright,

the other and connected at their lower ends; a. tubular, rotatable shaft disposed between, with its Tower terminal projecting below said casings, the lower terminal of said 12.

\V. G. COOK,

ments to dis iiose said drill heads and dis l linuicn F. ESTES.

charge ports outwardly of one of the ends 

